Dwarka Minor Assault Case: Delhi Court Grants Bail To De-Rostered IndiGo Woman Pilot

A Delhi court has recently granted bail to a de-rostered IndiGo woman pilot arrested last month along with her husband for allegedly physically assaulting a 10-year-old girl that she employed as an attendant for her child at her Dwarka home.

Previously to their arrest, the couple had been subjected to a violent encounter with a mob outside their residence.
Additional Sessions Judge Vipin Kharb, while granting the bail, asserted that the continuation of her custody would not yield any meaningful purpose.

Consequently, the application was approved, and the accused/applicant, Pournima Nilkant Somkumar, was granted regular bail upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1,00,000 along with one surety.

The former First Officer was represented by Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, who was briefed by a legal team from Karanjawala & Company. This team, led by Partner Samarjit Pattnaik, included Advocate Puneet Relan, Principal Associate Irfan Muzamil, and Associates Kashish Seth and Tanvi Seth from the firm.
In the bail petition, it was contended that the accused had been in custody for the past one month. The medical examination of the victim revealed minor injuries as per the Medico-Legal Certificate. The principal charge under Section 370 IPC, concerning human trafficking, was the only serious allegation.

However, from the circumstances of the case, it was evident that the charge of trafficking did not hold since the child had been entrusted to the applicant and her husband.

Additionally, it was argued that the applicant’s 4-year-old child suffered from certain serious medical conditions requiring personalized parental care, particularly from the mother. Since both the applicant and her spouse were in custody, it was imperative to grant bail to the mother.

After considering the arguments presented by both the applicant’s counsel and the State, the court was inclined to grant bail. The release was conditioned upon the furnishing of a bail bond and adherence to certain terms, refraining from tampering with evidence, seeking court permission before leaving India, avoiding contact with the injured child and her family members, and observing various other minor stipulations.